As Jackman turned the Tony Awards into a virtual one-man show - starring as host and then being named best actor in a musical - he did not forget McKenney, the actor many felt should have taken his signature role of Peter Allen to Broadway.

Jackman told the audience that McKenney had set the standard for the role of Allen in The Boy From Oz, performing it more than 750 times during the show's Australian run.

"You left me huge shoes to fill, so I share this with you," Jackman said.

Jackman had gone into the Tonys as the nearest thing to a sure bet for his Oz role, which had the New York critics in raptures at last year's premiere.

His win was hugely popular, and the Radio City Music Hall crowd gave him a standing ovation - perhaps in part a reward for his hosting role. It was the second year running he had been front man for the Broadway equivalent of the Oscars.

Like Allen before him, Jackman owned the fabled stage. He rode in on a camel, and sang two numbers with the Rockettes.

"The whole night has been a blast," he said later. "This is where Peter Allen had one of his career triumphs, a sold-out concert season, and I've got his old dressing-room. So it's been surreal and wonderful."

Even the choice of award presenter Nicole Kidman - Jackman's friend and New York neighbour - suggested that his win was pre-ordained.

" Nicole told me that if she opened the envelope and it wasn't my name she was going to say I had won anyway. That's what friends are for."

Jackman paid tribute to the Australian author of the original book of the musical, the late Nick Enright, who was up for a posthumous Tony alongside the author of the revised Broadway version, Martin Sherman.

"Nick is probably up there sharing a beer, or a pina colada, with Peter Allen," Jackman said. "Peter Allen had a line about making every moment count, and he certainly did that. So I dedicate this award to him."

Black women took three of the four categories for actresses, including

Phylicia Rashad, best known as Claire Huxtable on television's The Cosby Show. She became the first black to be named best actress in a play, for a revival of A Raisin in the Sun. A revival of Stephen Sondheim's musical Assassins won five awards.